In preparing papers for Cabinet and Cabinet committees Ministers and officials should consider the most appropriate format to use for submissions on major policy proposals or reviews. This should take into account the subject matter and scope of the policy issues and the need for the information to be presented in the most practical and logical way.
The following formats are acceptable for submissions on major policy proposals or reviews, where previously a series or suite of papers may have been envisaged:
- A single paper longer than 10 pages will be acceptable where this is the most practical and logical way of addressing an issue;
- A single paper, attaching detailed information in appendices, is also an acceptable alternative to a suite of individual papers;
- A suite of papers approach is also acceptable if that format is the best way to facilitate consideration of the issue;
If a suite of papers approach is used:
- the division of the issue into separate papers should be determined by the subject matter rather than the 10 page guideline for the length of papers. Two or three longer papers may be more appropriate than five or six shorter papers. Consideration should also be given to the timing of the submissions. In some cases a staged approach may be better than submitting the papers all at once;
- it is not normally necessary to submit an overview paper summarising the issues. It can however sometimes be helpful for a strategic overview of the issue to be provided in advance of a detailed paper or papers. The overview can seek agreement to the general approach to the issues and outline the further work to be presented in subsequent papers. This approach has the advantage of allowing guidance to be provided on the key issues before detailed work is done and alerts Ministers to the kinds of decisions that will be needed longer term.
Cabinet Office is available to provide advice to Ministers' offices or departments on their proposed approach. Please contact the relevant committee secretary in the first instance (link only available to people with access to the Public Service Intranet).